The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin on suspicion of the "unlawful deportation" of children from Ukraine, which would constitute a war crime.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for Putin's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
According to ICC pre-trial judges, there are "reasonable grounds to believe that each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children".
Hundreds of children are believed to have been forcibly removed from Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, with Lvova-Belova accused of overseeing the operation.
'Deliberate Russian policy'
According to Amnesty International, which documented the transfers in a report in November, "in several cases, children fleeing without parents or other guardians towards Ukrainian-held territory were stopped at Russian military checkpoints, and transferred into the custody of Russian-controlled authorities in Donetsk".
"The process of obtaining Russian citizenship has been simplified for children who are alleged to be either orphans or without parental care, and for some people with disabilities. This was meant to facilitate the adoption of these children by Russian families, in violation of international law," the rights watchdog said.
"These actions indicate a deliberate Russian policy related to its deportation from Ukraine to Russia of civilians, including children."
The ICC has been investigating potential war crimes in Ukraine since the early days of the invasion.
Russia does not recognise the authority of the ICC, which is based in The Hague and has a remit to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity around the world.
"The decisions of the international criminal court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view," a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said on her Telegram channel.
"Russia does not cooperate with this body."
But the arrest warrants could make travelling to countries that do cooperate with the ICC difficult.
Meanwhile Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin hailed a "historic" decision.
"The world received a signal that the Russian regime is criminal and its leadership and henchmen will be held accountable," he wrote on social media.
"No one responsible for crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, regardless of their status, should escape justice," the French Foreign Ministry posted on Twitter, alongside a statement promising France's full support for the ICC.
La décision de la CPI d’émettre un mandat d’arrêt contre Vladimir Poutine et Maria Lvova-Belova fera date. Aucun responsable de crimes commis par la Russie en Ukraine, quel que soit son statut, ne doit échapper à la justice.
— France Diplomatie🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) March 17, 2023
Communiqué → https://t.co/T6VxPApeDe@MinColonna https://t.co/Wjv23RQFbQ pic.twitter.com/tEsmzUToqc
In a statement, the court's judges said that they had decided to make the warrants public in the hope that it "may contribute to the prevention of the further commission of crimes".
The warrants were requested by the prosecution on 22 February, according to the ICC, just two days before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
